indieBRAG Blog

Author Interview with Mary Ellen Gavin Author of B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree Secrets of the Apple Tree Tavern Mary Ellen Gavin was raised between Chicago and Los Angeles. She now resides in Virginia. Her Love of the Arts and Storytelling is prevalent in her family as many members are writers, actors or in the music industry.Mary Ellen works is a Literary Editor, Script Consultant, Contest Judge for IndieBookAwards.com and teaches both novel writing and screenwriting. Best of all, she is inspiring to young writers and fun to be around. Read the full interview with MaryEellen at: Layered Pages

Author Interview with Helen Sedwick Author of the B.R.A.G.M edallion Honoree Coyote Winds Helen Sedwick grew up in a theater family, spending many a vacation helping run a summer stock theater in the Poconos. From her theater years and from reading countless books, she fell in love with the power of the story to make us laugh, learn, love and cry. Her short stories have appeared in bosque magazine and Redwood Writers' anthologies. Her novel COYOTE WINDS earned five-star reviews from ForeWord Reviews and Compulsion Reads and is an IndieBrag Medallion Winner. Helen is also a business attorney. In her latest release SELF-PUBLISHER'S LEGAL HANDBOOK, she uses 30 years of experience to show independent authors how to stay out of court and at their desks, writing their next books. Read the full interview with Helen at: Layered pages

Author Interview with Derek Birks Author of B.R.A.G.Medallion Honorees Feud and A Traitor's Fate Derek was born in Hampshire in England but spent his teenage years in Auckland, New Zealand where he still has strong family ties.He misspent his youth at the University of Reading, where he studied history but spent most of his time in the Drama Studio. He could be discovered most afternoons in the university library fast asleep but was always willing to wake up and go for a coffee.For many years he taught history at a secondary school in Berkshire but took early retirement several years ago to concentrate on his writing.Apart from writing, he spends his time gardening, travelling, walking and taking part in archaeological digs at a local Roman villa.Derek is interested in a wide range of historical themes but his particular favourite is the late medieval period. His debut historical novel, Feud, is set in the period of the Wars of the Roses and is the first of a series, Rebels & Brothers. The series follows the fortunes of the fictional Elder family as they struggle to survive a very turbulent period of English history. Derek aims to write action-packed fiction which is rooted in…

Author Interview with Alan Bray Author of the B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree Hour of Parade Alan Bray started writing fiction sixteen years ago and has published a fair number of short stories in literary journals. The Hour of Parade is his first novel. He is currently working on a second, also set in historic time. Alan lives in New Hampshire with his wife and daughter. He has worked as a musician and clinical social worker. Read Alan's interview at Layered Pages

Author Interview With Amber Foxx Author of the B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree Shaman's Blues Amber Foxx writes the mystery series featuring healer and psychic Mae Martin. Amber's professional training and academic studies in various fields of complementary and alternative medicine, as well as her personal experience and travels, bring authenticity to her work. She has worked professionally in theater and dance, fitness, and academia. In her free time she enjoys music, dancing, art, running and yoga. She divides her time between the southeast and the southwest, but Truth or Consequences, New Mexico is home. Read Amber's interview on Layered Pages

AUTHOR SURVEY: PART TWO Thanks for joining us for the second part of our Friday Blog on the indieBRAG Survey- Robert In this Blog I will conclude my summary of key findings from the indieBRAG 2014 Author Survey. Type of Social Media Used. Observations: • As in 2013, virtually all of our authors use social media to promote their SP books and this is done across a broad range of social media types. • Having a website, Facebook page and being on Goodreads continue to be the most commonly used types of social media. • The usage of Twitter while still strong at 72%, dropped from 79% a year ago. • The percentage of authors having a Pinterest page jumped dramatically to 49% versus 36% last year. • Conversely, the number of authors who write a blog dropped markedly from 86% last year to 68% this year. Types of Reviews Read Observations: • All respondents say they read book reviews on amazon.com and over 60% say these reviews can Always or Usually be trusted. • Almost as many authors read reviews on Goodreads but the percentage who trust them is a…

Author Survey - Part One Each year we submit a survey to our Readers and Authors to find out what they like and don't like about books, about what works for authors and how they might spend their time and money more wisely. Robert has prepared the following for you which will appear in 4 blogs and posted on Fridays. As many of you are aware, last October we conducted the indieBRAG Second Annual Survey among our Readers and Authors of a B.R.A.G Medallion book. As promised, I would now like to share with you the key findings from those two surveys, and compare the results versus the 2013 Survey where relevant. I will present the key findings from both surveys in two parts beginning today with the Author Survey: Part One. Overview Participation in the survey by authors of Medallion books dropped this year to roughly 20% of our total number of authors, which compares to 33% last year. While we were disappointed by this lower participation rate, the sample was still large enough to provide some useful, albeit directional, findings. Self- Versus Traditional Publishing • As was the case last year, approximately 80% of survey respondents have…

Our indieBRAG Kids chat with author C JoVan Williams A drawing by our indieBRAG Kids! Mrs. D and Class!I'm always happy to hear from readers! Thank you so much for reaching out to me and here are the answers to your questions. 1. I like it because it rhymes. Why did you make it funny?Devin, I wanted to keep young readers like you entertained while still telling an important story. As long as you stay positive, remember to always be true to yourself. 2. Why is Piggy so mean?Ewan, I don't even think Piggy know why he's so mean. Hopefully, he'll get better! 3. When was the story written?William, I wrote the story in December of 2013. 4. Why did you write about Veggie?Sophie, Veggie reminds me a little bit of me and how I deal with people who don't always have kind words to say. 5. Why do the characters have food names?Gideon, I love food just as much as I love writing, so I wanted to combine the two! 6. Why did you write this story?Julissa, I wanted to share with others that you don't have to let the words of others ruin your day...or your life! 7.…

Author Interview with Darah Zeledon Darah's interview with Layered Pages Darah Zeledon is the devoted mom of five and wife of one. When she's not mothering or "wife‐ing," she's a suicide prevention activist, author, inspiring speaker, life coach, and trained group facilitator. Darah's completely fluent in Spanish, holds a B.S. in Psychology, M.A. in International Relations, and is a Certified Life & Success Coach (CLC, CPSC). She joined The Miami Herald's MomsMiami as a featured blogger in 2010, began writing for the print publication, The Parent Notebook in 2011 as their family editor and founder of the witty and provocative"This Parenting Gig" column, and worked as an editor and features columnist with the South Florida monthly newspaper, the Happy Herald. Be sure to stop by Darah Zeledon's website and blog-

Author Interview with Laurie Boris Author of Don't Tell Anyone Laurie's website Laurie Boris is a freelance writer, editor, proofreader, and former graphic designer. She has been writing fiction for over twenty-five years and is the award-winning author of five novels: The Joke's on Me, Drawing Breath, Don't Tell Anyone, Sliding Past Vertical, and Playing Charlie Cool. When not hanging out with the universe of imaginary people in her head, she enjoys baseball, cooking, reading, and helping aspiring novelists as a contributing writer and editor for IndiesUnlimited.com. She lives in New York's lovely Hudson Valley. Laurie is the author of the B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree Don't Tell Anyone Read Layered Pages full interview with Laurie Boris